New guidelines will be issued this week for the UK’s creative industries after a series of scandals including reports of inappropriate behaviour by Gregg Wallace and Gino d’Acampo, and bullying allegations on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.
In research carried out in May 2024 by Bectu, the union for workers in the creative industries, 84% of respondents said the sector needed an independent body to investigate, report and prevent harassment.
The fact that the creative industries, especially film and television, mostly comprised freelancers and small companies had exacerbated issues of poor behaviour, Smith said.
Smith was previously director of culture and inclusion at the British Film Institute and in the aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein scandal helped draw up a set of standards to combat harassment in the screen industries.
There needs to be “one entity, where people can report confidentially and safely, and we can build up [a] picture of concerning behaviour and deal with it appropriately,” Smith said.
